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Simeon K. Ehui

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Distinguished Ag Alumni: 2001

Growing up in Africa’s Ivory Coast, Simeon K. Ehui knew firsthand what it was like to be poor. “I come from a very modest family. We had no electricity in our home,” he says. “I lost my father when I was 10, and my mother sold cloth in the marketplace to earn money.” Today when he visits his home country, he says, “I see the same type of child in the same situation, and it hurts my heart. So wherever I am, I try to help.” Despite his childhood hardships, he’s been lucky, Dr. Ehui says. His mother worked to send him to school. He earned a graduate scholarship from his country’s government and other awards and fellowships along the way. And in return, he’s devoting his life to helping others. Professionally, Ehui contributes as leader of the policy analysis program of the International Livestock Research Institute in Ethiopia. The organization’s mission is to improve sustainable livestock production. Personally, he helps to ease the pain of poverty in several ways. “Being involved in humanitarian activities is my biggest pastime,” Ehui says. Many of his contributions have been through his leadership in the Rotary Club of Addis Ababa - donations to Sister Jember’s Slum Area Development Project, Hanna Family Home for Orphan Children, and a training center for street girls. He also was instrumental in launching the Lighthouse Project for Ethiopia, which provides shelter for homeless mothers, food for six months, and loans to establish small-scale businesses. And he’s secured assistance from the West Lafayette, Indiana, Rotary Club to further these projects. “I believe I should help,” he says. “I am deeply involved in solving community problems.”